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AnyLogic V User’s Manual

Table 16.

To simplify work with probability distributions, AnyLogic ActiveObject class has static methods (inherited from Func class), wrapping the described above methods of probability distribution classes. You can simply call the static method of the ActiveObject class to obtain random values without instantiating the distribution class, e.g. ActiveObject.exponential( 0.6 ). For more information please consult AnyLogic Class Reference.

Chapter 11. Running and observing a model

11. Running and observing a model

If you have already built up your model, you may run the model simulation. There are several ways to run the model generated by AnyLogic. You can run the model:

•Directly from AnyLogic.

•Using command line on any Java-enabled machine, see section 18.1, “Running a model from the command line”.

•As an applet, see section 18.2, “Running a model as an applet”.

This chapter describes how to run a model from AnyLogic. This is the simplest way of running the model. The same instance of AnyLogic that was used for editing and building the model launches and serves as a model viewer, controller, and debugger. If you wish, you can specify arbitrary options for Java virtual machine.

AnyLogic gives you the maximum control over the model execution. AnyLogic is an ideal environment for iterating the design and debugging your model (the detailed information on debugging AnyLogic models is given in Chapter 14, “Debugging a model”). AnyLogic shows you the running model in terms of design notation. AnyLogic visual model viewer/debugger features include:

•Step and run modes with a variety of options

•Easy navigation with Model Explorer: any model element is accessible

•On-the-fly animation of structure and statecharts

•Graphical breakpoints, log and inspect windows

•Dataset visualization (scatter, histogram, Gantt) and export to other applications

•Event viewer

•Variable and parameter modification at runtime.

Please note that you cannot use AnyLogic to view a model running as an applet.

AnyLogic V User’s Manual

11.1 Running the model with AnyLogic

View and debug your model using the Model and View items in the main menu and the Model toolbar, Figure 131. Not all of these buttons are present on the toolbar by default. To add/remove buttons, use the Customize dialog box (see section 21.1, “Customizing toolbars and menus”).

Figure 131. Model toolbar

11.1.1Creating and destroying the model

►To bring the project up to date and create the model (but not start it)

1.Click the Step toolbar button, or Choose Model|Step from the main menu, or Press F10.

►To bring the project up to date and run the model

1.Click the Run toolbar button, or Choose Model|Run from the main menu, or Press F5.

You can tell AnyLogic to save your project every time before creating the model.

►To set project autosave before creating the model

1.Choose Tools|Options… from the main menu. The Options dialog box is displayed.

2.On the Miscellaneous page, select the Autosave project on model run check box.

3.Click OK.

AnyLogic V User’s Manual

in case you wish to see all primitive steps, you may use Detailed Play and Primitive Step commands.

►To run the model

1.Click the Run toolbar button, or Choose Model|Run from the main menu, or Press F5.

When a model starts running, current model time, step and replication values are displayed in the status bar, see Figure 132.

Figure 132. Status bar

You can change the period of status bar update during model run.

►To set up the status bar update period

1.Choose Tools|Options… from the main menu. The Options dialog box is displayed.

2.Click the Viewer tab of the dialog box.

3.In the Model status refresh interval (ms) edit box, specify the update period in milliseconds.

By default, the Run command executes the model as fast as possible, refreshing windows rarely with the period of time specified in AnyLogic options. However, you can refresh windows when needed.

►To refresh windows (excluding animation window) when running the model

1.Choose Model|Refresh Windows from the main menu.

You can configure the viewer update period during model run using the Viewer page of the Options dialog box.

AnyLogic V User’s Manual

►To make one step with respect to the current window (run until a change in the current windows, then stop)

1.Choose Model|Step in Window from the main menu.

►To make one primitive step

(move to the next event of the simulation engine, then stop)

1.Choose Model|Primitive Step from the main menu, or Press F11.

►To play the model displaying maximum details

(non-stop execution, screen updated on each event of the simulation engine)

1.Choose Model|Detailed Play from the main menu, or Press Ctrl+F11.

►To run the model until a particular time or step condition holds

1.Choose Model|Run to from the main menu.

The Run To Condition dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure 133.

Figure 133. Run To Condition dialog box

2.Check the type of stop condition (Time, Step, or both).

3.Type the time in the Time edit box. In the corresponding drop-down list specify whether this time is absolute or relative to the current model time.

AnyLogic V User’s Manual

twice faster than the specified model speed, etc. For instance, if model speed is 6 model time units per second, 2x means that 12 model time units correspond to 1 second. You can change the model simulation speed as you like.

►To change the model simulation speed scale

1.To decrease model speed, click the Decrease model speed toolbar button, or Choose from the main menu.

2.To increase model speed, click the Increase model speed toolbar button, or Choose from the main menu.

11.2 Viewing and controlling the model

You view and control the running model using the following windows (see Figure 134): the Model Explorer window, animated structure diagram window, animated statechart diagram window, inspect, log, chart windows.

The Model Explorer window displays the model elements, organized in a tree, and provides easy navigation and fast access to any of them. The animated structure diagram window visualizes the structure diagram of an active object and provides access to its elements. The variables and parameters changes are automatically displayed and active elements of model are graphically highlighted.

Using these windows you can:

•Open log windows, displaying textual output of a model or of an active object.

•Open inspect windows, displaying the information about the current status of model elements.

•Modify parameters and variables of active objects.

•Visualize datasets by various types of charts (scatter, histogram, Gantt).

•Set up breakpoints on elements of the model.

The animated statechart diagram window provides on-the-fly animation of a statechart and provides access to statechart elements.